


How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

by Rikudera



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28972908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikudera/pseuds/Rikudera
Summary: A Kingdom Hearts drabble collection, usually based on either gifts/requests or character/ship weeks.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 5





	1. Resonance

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my KH drabble collection. Each chapter will be a different drabble, and I'll have a note at the top with the specific tags for that drabble.
> 
> Chapter 1 is a Riku/Sora drabble set in the KH1-DDD era. It was written in 2016.

_I heard him. You’re a liar, and I heard him. It just took longer than I thought it would to say something back_. The years stretch, from the first foot off the smallest planet imaginable, into darkness and distance and a threshold in the dead of night that cannot be crossed. You feel him fly with words, with sounds like a flash of recognition.

The closer you travel to a black hole, the larger the corona of light surrounding it. The more extreme the dilation.

_It has been such a very long year of waiting_. You whisper to him with your mouth inches from the barrier, palms flat against metal and glass and if you squint, you can see lashes obscured by so many petal-like layers, blurred like watercolors. It's like running constantly, the ache in your muscles like a near-eternity, where he remains the same, suspended in a dream, expectant. The gravity of the event horizon in your chest is on a scale almost too massive to comprehend, but the ache to hear his voice again is stronger.

You have so much you want to return to him that he cannot yet receive. You take stock and carefully package it up for the right moment. You can’t speak when you see him next, you can only run, far but not far enough. Through cold and distance, you flee from recognition. You hear your name on his lips as he calls to your swiftly retreating back.

He finds you, eventually. It’s so dark, but your heart is full of resonance with the sound of his voice, the sound of the waves, and your voice calls back joyously in return. In answer from within the corona.

You stutter yourself to sleep, still searching for a way to ensure the resonance stays. He is always just out of reach, visible but off-time from your words and your actions. You do your utmost best to be there for him, to drive away and consume that which might endanger him. You harmonize with him in the ways that you’re able, but it doesn’t feel like he’s truly there until he’s awake and solid in your arms.

He is wearing a stupid thing on his face, and then he embraces you like a rocket launcher of happiness to the heart, his arms around your neck, his smile wide against your cheek. And when you finally realize what you’ve achieved, he is right there to tell you he always knew it would happen. There will be more things to do, you know, but you allow yourself this happiness while it lasts.

You knew what you wanted, though it shook you to your core to admit it. A call was trapped and tamped down, the ache for a response held tight behind your lips. Just as then, he coaxes the words from you, the fullness of your chest clamorous with intent. He will leave soon, and you do not want him to go, though you know the need for it. Until then, however, he is resplendent in his artless honesty, in the way he urges you on even as you pull towards him with an inescapable gravity, and you are in asymptote of some glorious future on the horizon.

_I wanted you to know_. You murmur with a fervent mouth what you have always wanted him to hear, and he tells you he will meet you there.


	2. three ghosts in a lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days/KH2-era Twilight Town haunted mansion contemplation with Riku and Naminé.

1\. You can’t remove darkness, she said, you can only add light.

She’s gotten paint on her nose again. You hand her a tissue and point to your own nose; she blinks, then smiles and rubs at the spot. She looks at you again. You nod. She immediately gets back to work.

You walk slowly towards the window, past the colorful ghosts that murmur on the walls, feeling much like a specter yourself. There’s an ache inside you where something light used to be, and you’ve been pouring phantasmal sketchings into it to stop yourself from collapsing completely. Like bailing out a sinking ship, but in reverse.

You lean your head on the glass, and the warmth from the afternoon sun is just as hazy and temporary as everything else.

She never asks you for anything, and it isn’t right, so you do your best to make things up to her in the ways you know how. Little things, mostly, when she pretends to agree she deserves them. Domestic chores, sitting by the broken backyard fountain, quiet walks in the woods, the occasional ice cream. You don’t think she ever lets herself enjoy them fully, but she always remembers to thank you for them.

2\. You can’t get rid of darkness.

You come back from the city soaked to the bone, shoulders hunched, the inside of your cheek bitten more times than you can count. You dump the body into the alcove, ask a few questions to those present, and then excuse yourself so you can go find somewhere to throw up. After heaving into the kitchen sink until your stomach is empty, you give it a reflexive rinse clean and stagger out to the backyard. You don’t even make it to the fountain, just sit down hard on the back steps and bury your head in your hands.

You don’t know how much time passes until she finishes her computer work and finds you. Her hand is so small on your shoulder. She calls you by your name, and you shudder.

She apologizes, and you tell her it’s not her fault.

You ask her if it’s going to work.

She says yes, and you know she’s telling the truth because she sounds like she wants to cry but is refraining because it might be impolite. You nod. She keeps her hand on your shoulder.

3\. You can only add light.

She catches you in the basement again, and asks you what the matter is.

You tell her you don’t know and keep your hand pressed against the glass. Everything is so out of reach. She walks up to lean into your side. The following silence is only broken by the faint hum of computers.

I can feel him, she says. You’re starting to remember how things used to be; miming your hand against the image of a face behind glass just isn’t the same.

Wake up soon, okay?

Soon, she agrees. You think she means it this time.


	3. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas, Naminé, and Riku post-KH2. Technically part of Awakenings-verse, set sometime after Dream.

It was winter, but you couldn’t tell. They’d all been a little disappointed about missing both Christmas and the new year, but the islands had simply continued on despite it. Riku couldn’t remember whose mother had said something about their return being the best present anyone could wish for, but he definitely remembered Sora grinning more than usual. It was so _cheesy_. He couldn’t remember if his mother had looked sad at the time, either, because Sora had dragged him out of the room mid-sentence to go to the play island. Who even knew if mothers said anything different about how they were feeling once you were out of the room. It was strange, how he hadn’t thought about those things until now.

Even though it hadn’t happened for over a hundred years, and it was already past Christmas, Riku wished it would snow. Sora had been looking overly pleased with himself for days. Riku wanted to throw a snowball at him, tackle him into a giant snowdrift, and risk frostbite. The last time they’d been in the snow, Riku hadn’t even been able to talk to Sora. He wanted to be a little braver about it, next time around.

“You look like you’ve been doing some thinking.” Riku turned. Naminé was smiling more than usual today, too. Riku shrugged.

“Tidus finish demonstrating all his Blitzball moves today?” It was mostly a rhetorical question, since she wouldn’t be out if anyone besides himself and Sora were on the play island. Naminé climbed up to sit next to him on the Paopu tree, her arm just barely brushing against his. Riku didn’t know anyone who could say so many things without speaking as her. “Do you think it’ll snow here, next Christmas?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.” When he glanced sidelong to see her expression, she was still smiling. “What’s snow like?” Riku didn’t know how she always knew _everything_ he wasn’t saying.

“Cold and wet, I guess…” He was _not_ going to fidget. “Harder to move around in.” If you were running away in a floor-length leather coat, and if Sora was the person you had to outrun, you had to really mean it. But the islands’ ecosystem had withstood hurricanes before; a little cold wouldn’t be a problem, right? “Probably inconvenient, if you have to deal with it all winter.”

“But just a few days of it would be okay, right?”

“Do you think it’s unrealistic?”

“It’s a good thing to look forward to.” She was too good at this. “Roxas, have you been in the snow before?” Riku turned again. She was _way_ too good at this.

“No,” Roxas said, though he was looking back at Riku. They hadn’t spoken to each other since that night. Riku decided he wouldn’t say anything as long as Roxas didn’t. Maybe not even then.

“It sounds like fun,” Naminé continued, voice as calm as ever. “What would you want for Christmas?” There was a moment where Naminé was the only one breathing.

“…I don’t know,” Roxas frowned. His face was shouting a name. He looked like he was trying not to bite his lip.

“I’ve been in the snow, once,” Riku said. He wanted Roxas to stop making that face. “It was…” he thought about how it had hurt, to run, and how at the same time, he never had been able to convince himself to give up on anything, even when he thought he wanted to, “…it was fun, actually. You’d like it.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“How do you know if it’s going to snow or not?” He asked Riku questions with more immediacy than anyone else Riku had known. Riku shrugged again. Roxas frowned again.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t want it to.” Then, Riku allowed himself a smirk. “You’ll know when I hit you with a snowball.”

“Not if I get you first,” Roxas retorted immediately, then made an annoyed face at the air to Riku’s left when he caught himself. Naminé was looking too pleased with herself again - how did she always know _everything?_ \- so Riku took this as his cue to leave.

“I’d like to see you try.” Then, he went to head down to the cove. Just before he got out of earshot, he overheard Roxas asking Naminé what a snowball was.


	4. Spectacular

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commander Kairi Shepard makes a battle plan with her two favorite crewmates.

The message from Admiral Donald had been clear: there was a secret Organization base in the unassuming Neverland system, and it was up to one Spectre and her team to investigate and find out what the Enigmatic Man’s goal really was. Kairi was more than ready to hit the Organization where it hurt, so as Axel and NAMI were taking the _Highwind_ to the Britain Nebula, she adjusted the mods to her shotgun and contemplated who to take along with her. Xion had her hands full with both her information terminals and hounding of Lexaeus, and Kairi had taken Olette and Terra on the last mission to Agrabah. Eliminating those options left her with one conclusion.

“I’ve got a seat on the shuttle to an Organization base with your name on it. We leave at 0300 tomorrow, so get yourself in the debriefing room.”

“That’s one of my favorite places to be.”

“I’m ready to get back into the action!”

Seven hours later, Kairi gave her squad a final once-over before nodding in approval. Riku had his sniper rifle on his back, Sora had his pistol at his side, and both of them were eagerly anticipating her next order.

“Alright, men,” she grinned. “Let’s go kick some ass.”


	5. Skateboarding is not a crime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas teaches Axel how to skateboard.

“Roxas, are you… are you sure you wanna-” Axel looks warily at the skateboard in Roxas’s hand, feeling distinctly like the pit in his stomach is only going to get deeper and more perilous.

“It’ll be fine,” Roxas answers easily. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right here to help you if you need it.”

“You mean, if I wipe out and break several of my ribs,” Axel corrects.

“That’s what cure spells are for,” Roxas says, smiling in what he probably thinks is a reassuring manner but that creates exactly the opposite effect. “Now finish putting your helmet on, and then we’ll go to the top of the hill. We’ve got to make the most of what little free time we have.”

“R-Right.” As Axel slowly shoves his hair under the helmet Roxas bought him, he watches his would-be tutor expertly maneuver the skateboard while he waits. Roxas zooms down the hill, grinds on the retaining wall, launches himself up into the air, high-fives one of the town’s mail-carrier birds, and sticks the landing perfectly. Just because he can. The mail-bird chirps a jaunty refrain as the cashier at the armor shop applauds. Axel clicks the latch on his helmet closed, then swallows.

Yeah, he’s going to die.

“You ready?” Roxas grins, skating back up to where Axel’s standing at the top of the hill, bright blue eyes blinking up at Axel expectantly.

“…Absolutely,” Axel lies. It’s not his fault Roxas is so endearing.

“Great,” Roxas says, then rolls the board towards Axel. “Okay, so you put your right foot here, and your left foot will be here. Your knee should be bent like this…” Axel does his best to follow all the instructions he’s given, and about five minutes later, Roxas deems him ready for a test run.

“Are you really sure about this?” Axel asks again.

“You won’t learn if you don’t try,” Roxas replies decisively. “The only thing you have to do is roll down the hill and stop. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

Axel looks down the long, steep hill. Why does this town have so many hills in the first place, anyway?

“A piece of cake. Right.” Axel swallows again. Part of him would rather just skip to their usual icing on the cake, but…

“You can do it!” Roxas beams. After another moment, Axel nods. He always knew he was going to die young, anyway. “Just kick off like I showed you.”

“Got it.” Axel looks down the hill again, more determined this time. “I can do this.” He slowly kicks off and starts rolling down the hill.

“Keep going!” Roxas calls behind him. Axel starts rolling faster. “Okay, now start to turn-”

And faster.

And _faster_ , oh _crap_.

“I forgot how to stoooOOOOOPPPP-”

“A-AXEL, NO! TURN! TURN!!!”

…Ow.

“Axel!”

“…Ow,” Axel says. He looks up from where he’s wiped out on the ground. Roxas is hovering over him, frowning.

“Are you okay? Nothing broken?”

“At least we know the helmet works,” Axel mutters. Roxas holds a hand out to help him up, which Axel takes. “The bruises on my butt and on my ego won’t show up 'til later, anyway.”

“You’ll be fine,” Roxas says, finding another supposedly-reassuring smile from within himself. “You just need to practice some more. No one learns everything right away.” Still holding Axel’s hand, he leads them both back up the hill. “Let’s try again.” Axel lets himself be led because it really is unfair how much Roxas’s eyes can sparkle in the afternoon light.

“You are gonna owe me _so_ much ice cream when we’re done,” Axel says.


	6. DANGER ZONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Naminé buy some time during KH2.

“I though I told you to dispose of that which was unnecessary to us,” DiZ said. He was sitting in front of his computer, casual as anything, blocking access to the mini-fridge reserved solely for ice cream, the bastard.

“I’m not doing it,” Riku declared, moving protectively in front of Naminé. “I’ve helped you so far because I wanted Sora to wake up. Naminé’s worked for the same reason. We’re all fighting for the people who are important to us.” Naminé clung to the back of his coat. In the next room over, or in a version of it, there were two other nobodies fighting, too. Riku had to buy them more time. “We won’t help you with revenge.”

“Are you betraying me, too, Riku?” DiZ shot back.

“I’m thankful that you helped Sora, but I won’t let you hurt Naminé!” Riku responded. He was prepared to summon Soul Eater if necessary, holding his hand outstretched for that very task.

“Riku…” Naminé said. He looked back at her; her own gaze was in the monitors. Riku followed that gaze, and was met with an empty room, still smoldering with the remains of a fire at the edges. Looks like their plan had worked.

“You’re right,” Riku said. Then, the turned to DiZ. “We’re going, and don't try to stop us.” His outstretched hand left his weapon alone and formed a dark portal at his fingertips instead. He led Naminé through it to the hill on Twilight Town.

Once he went through, though, he sighed deeply.

“It’s been a long year, hasn’t it?” Naminé asked. She still had her hand on the back of his coat. “But we had some good times, didn’t we?”

Riku turned to look at her. Her smile was small, and shy, but it was genuine. He couldn’t bring himself to take the hood off his coat, but he tried to smile back. Maybe she knew he was doing it anyway.

“Yeah,” Riku said. “I’ll miss watching you draw pictures.”

“We’ll meet again,” she replied. “I can show you what I’ve drawn then. I’ll draw you, if you want, as you really are inside.”

“…I’d like that,” Riku said.


	7. In Which Roxas Competently and Maturely Collaborates with His Significant Other to Introduce His Boyfriend to His Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-KH2 AU. Roxas and Sora share a body in this.

Sora’s walking briskly down the street in Destiny Islands, a tall, lanky knife of a man following behind you.

_Are we there yet?_ you ask Sora.

_Almost there!_ he thinks back at you. You can feel his grin, the bounce in his steps. It’s adding to your already-bountiful energy, though you’re not certain how much of yours is nervousness.

_What if she doesn’t like him?_

_It’ll be fine_ , Sora reassures. He turns to give an encouraging smile to your companion as well, and you both receive an easy grin in return. _See? Nothing to worry about._

_What if she asks what we were doing?_

_Just be vague,_ Sora says. You can feel the mental hand wave that accompanies his comment.

_What if she asks about where he’s from?_

_**Roxaaas.**_ He would be mentally flopping on you dramatically if you weren’t about to turn the corner to his house - the house.

_Okay, okay._ Sora pauses and bounces a little extra to relieve some of the tension.

“Okay,” Sora says, peeking around the corner to his house - your house. “The King said we’re not allowed to tell people details about stuff, so…”

“Yeah, I memorized it,” your companion teases. Well, if he’s gonna be like _that_ about it. Sora wrinkles his nose for you. Your companion continues smiling winningly.

“Okay,” Sora repeats, turning back to your destination.

_Are we gonna go or not?_  
  
 _I’m going._ Sora goes. He walks the rest of the way to the front door, fishes in his pockets for the separate house key, then opens the front door.  
  
“I’m home!” Sora calls, kicking his shoes off as he goes inside. A head pops around the corner.  
  
“Sora?”  
  
“Hi Mom!”  
  
“Sora!” Sora and his mom - your mom - sort of crash into each other halfway. “Welcome home!” She pulls away a little to look him over. “You’re safe?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m great. Everything’s fine, now.”  
  
“And Riku and Kairi?”  
  
“Yeah, they’re okay, too.”  
  
“And…” she pauses, finally seeming to notice your companion. “And who’s this?” Sora pushes you up to the front with zero warning.  
  
 _ **Sora!**_ You’re not flailing. Absolutely not.  
  
 _Go for it, Roxas!_ Sora gives you two mental thumbs up.  
  
“Roxas!” Sora’s mom - your mom - smiles. She hugs you, then detaches again.  
  
“Hi,” you say. “Uhm…” You turn around. Your companion’s only just finished getting his boots off. You pull him by the hand into the house proper. “This is my mom.” You turn back around. “Mom, this is Axel. He’s…” you squeeze Axel’s hand to calm some of your nervousness, “…he’s important to me.” Your mom seems to consider this for a moment, then smiles.  
  
“It’s nice to meet you, Axel,” she says. You keep squeezing Axel’s hand anyway, because it’s Axel’s hand.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Mrs., uh, Roxas’s and Sora’s mom,” he responds. “…Ma’am,” he adds. Was he just as nervous as you were?  
  
“My name is Keiko,” your mom says, still smiling.  
  
“Right, Mrs. Keiko.”  
  
“Why don’t you boys sit down, and I’ll make you some smoothies,” your mom suggests. “You’ve got to be roasting in that big black coat of yours, Axel.” You pull Axel by the hand into the kitchen, then sit down at the table across from him. “You’re going to be home again now, right, Roxas?”  
  
“Yeah,” you say. “Things should be okay for a while.”  
  
 _For a long time,_ Sora suggests.  
  
“For a long time,” you amend.  
  
“That’s good to hear,” your mom says, getting the smoothie stuff. You try not to fidget. Axel, at least, seems to have calmed down again.  
  
 _Oh! Let’s show her the thing._  
  
 _Can we-_  
  
 _Yeah, let’s._  
  
 _Ok._ You concentrate, and Sora pops out in his own body, sitting in the chair next to you.  
  
 _We did it!_ He waves at Axel.  
  
 _Yeah._ You smile at Sora. _Oh!_ You wave at Axel, too, and he looks back the two of you, amused.  
  
“We learned some new stuff,” Sora says out loud. “We can do this now.” Your mom turns to look.  
  
“Oh!” She notices both you and Sora. “That’s wonderful, honey.” Sora beams, and you content yourself with a small, pleased smile. Doing this is much better when it’s on purpose. “What other sorts of things did you do?”  
  
 _I told you._  
  
 _It’s okay._  
  
“…We, uh, were doing some of the same stuff as last time,” Sora says, and quickly adds onto the comment when your mom starts to frown. “But we got to stay with Riku and Kairi and Naminé the whole time! And we met a lot of new people, too.”  
  
“They’ve been helping out a lot of people,” Axel says, “myself included.” That seems to calm your mom down again.  
  
“Sora’s always been that way.” She’s smiling again, making the smoothies. “Roxas, too.” You’re not blushing. Sora totally is, but you’re definitely not. Definitely. “Is that when you met Axel?” she asks you.  
  
 _!!!_ Sora doesn’t respond to your wave of sudden panic - or to _his mom_ , for that matter - so you actually dart a physical glance at him. He’s looking away.  
  
“…No, it was last year,” you reply. You don’t know what else to say about it.  
  
“I was temporarily indisposed,” Axel embellishes smoothly, “but I’m back now.”  
  
“Axel doesn’t have a place to stay yet,” you say. “Since he just got back, like he said. And he probably needs to go shopping for a different outfit.” You need to stop rambling.  
  
“Well, we have a couch, downstairs,” your mom says. Axel nods too innocently, and you just _know_ he’s disappointed the couch is all the way downstairs. “And don’t worry, we can find you an apartment of your own in no time.”  
  
 _She **knows**._  
  
“Roxas and I can pay for the apartment and stuff,” Sora pipes in. _It’s not my fault my mom is psychic._ Finally he decides to say something.  
  
 _Yeah, it’s Riku’s fault, isn’t it?_ Sora really, _really_ wants an apartment with Riku and Kairi.  
  
 _ **Roxas!**_

“Thanks,” Axel says to Sora, like he’s been expecting it, frankly.

“So that’s settled,” your mom says, plopping the smoothies down. “Now, why don’t you tell me some more about some of the new friends you’ve made.”

“Right!” Sora perks right back up. “Okay, so first…” You and Sora and Axel all drink smoothies while Sora talks about the people you’ve both met for the first time and reunited with after an absence. Axel kicks you under the table, grinning, and you can’t help but smile back.


	8. Dirtbag Outlaws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Axel in Neverland, committing crimes. Implied sexual content between two consenting adults.

“Let’s do it, Axel!” Roxas says suddenly, grabbing Axel’s hands and staring not a tiny bit alarmingly into Axel’s eyes.

“…Huh?” Axel responds eloquently.

“We have to go,” Roxas demands. “Right now.” Either being in midair is seriously screwing with Axel’s sense of perception, or Roxas has inhaled a little too much pixie dust.

“Go where?” Axel glances sidelong at where Sora is trying to introduce Riku and Kairi to the fairies, or something, but Roxas yanks on Axel’s hands again, and eye contact is resumed. “I just got up here, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure how long I’ll stay up.” Why do they always go to the _weird_ worlds?

“Away,” Roxas says. “Let’s go away and be pirates. In space.”

“Whaaat?” Axel continues his earlier eloquence.

“Outlaws. On the run,” Roxas doesn’t actually clarify. “Sneaking into towns where no one knows our names, righting wrongs and escaping before they catch us.”

Axel blinks.

“Uh, Roxas…” Axel isn’t quite sure that Roxas knows what the definition of an outlaw is.

“I want to be a _hooligan_ , Axel. Let’s steal a ship and carry out secret missions of charity before the long arm of the law catches us!” Axel blinks again.

“Alright, you’ve definitely inhaled too much pixie dust, Roxas,” Axel says.

“No,” Roxas replies, grinning wildly, eyes alight with excitement. “If… if you could do _anything_ , Axel, if…” he seems to have trouble getting all the words out at once, his thoughts are clamoring so loudly.

Axel blinks again, tries to pull Roxas towards solid ground, and fails.

“ _Listen_ , Axel.” Roxas takes a deep breath. “If you can do anything at all, don’t you want to run away at least once?” Something catches in Axel’s chest. “It’ll be fun,” Roxas smiles. “Come on.”

Axel lets himself be tugged towards the Gummi Ship. Sora and company don’t seem to have noticed yet, but they will soon enough, he figures.

“Everyone’s gonna be upset when they find out we took the ship without telling them,” Axel says, warming up the engines.

“They’ll get over it,” Roxas replies. He pulls up the ship’s navi-map on the computer, slaps a hand over his eyes, and points. When he removes his hand, he’s grinning. “Here! Let’s go!”

\- - -

Fifteen minutes later, they’re just pulling past the asteroid field.

“Is it right or left next?” Axel asks, but he’s met with silence. A glance around the cockpit says that Roxas is busy in another part of the ship. Axel shifts his gaze to the navi-map, where an indicator arrow is steadily blinking. He turns back to the controls, but is interrupted by hands on his shoulders from the back.

“Put it on autopilot,” Roxas whispers in his ear, in a very particular tone of voice that happens to be one of Axel’s favorites. It’s a tone of voice that goes straight to Axel’s crotch.

“Yes, sir,” Axel smiles, fiddling with appropriate controls.

\- - -

Less than two minutes after that, they have reached the bunks, and Roxas has pushed Axel down onto his mattress. His hands are busy tugging again, this time at offensively zipped or buttoned articles of clothing, his mouth kissing Axel’s fiercely, like a man in a drought. Axel returns it like he’s high off the spark in Roxas’s eyes from earlier. Even when Roxas detaches for a moment to shuck off his own shirt and jacket, Axel presses his hips up and watches the way Roxas’s stomach muscles contract.

“You know,” Axel points out, “ most of your suggestions aren’t even all that reprehensible.” Roxas huffs, frustrated, and starts unbuttoning Axel’s pants. “Even _this_ isn’t illegal anymore.” Axel smiles, slyly, and rolls his hips again.

“If it’s not illegal yet,” Roxas responds, deadly serious, “you aren’t trying hard enough.” Axel feels his grin pull wider.

“I’ll show you trying hard.”

\- - -

When an angry voice cuts through the ship’s speakers and demands to know where Axel and Roxas have taken their Gummi Ship, dammit, the two outlaws can’t hear it from the cabin. The only thing Axel hears is the way Roxas’s voice catches on his name when they’re pressed so completely close to each other. It’s the kind of voice that tells Axel he doesn’t need to be afraid of falling anymore.


	9. Cups in the Cupboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU from KH2 set ~5 years later, in the vein of Awakenings verse. Sorikai + Axel, Roxas, and Naminé. Implied pregnancy.

Riku feels so old most of the time that he sometimes forgets how young he’s actually supposed to be. How young everyone is supposed to be. Axel teases that he’s the only responsible adult, and isn’t that hilarious.

Riku thinks about Sora, skin still overwarm from exertion, nuzzling into his neck and insisting that he’s not tired. Riku laughs and asks Sora if he’s sure, and thinks about how unfair it is that his hair is a total fucking mess and Sora’s just looks a little damp. Sora smiles into Riku’s collarbone, and Riku thinks about the way this feels every day.

Riku stays up all hours of the night with Naminé, talking-not-talking about why they are awake, and Naminé leans into his side and murmurs how still the ocean looks at night and how very large the moon is in the sky, how the stars paint the open canvas like a thousand million fireflies. Naminé says Kairi told her each star was a firefly once, and they twinkle because of how in love they are with each other. Riku thinks about how very many more worlds there are now than there used to be five years ago.

Riku stares at Kairi’s belly when the afternoon sunlight filters through the blinds in geometric little beams, wonders if despite the lull in fighting these past few years if they’re all doing something incredibly irresponsible. Riku worries about the future and consequences. Kairi laughs and says Sora is friends with everyone in all the worlds. Riku tells her she’s hyperbolizing but privately agrees. Kairi tells him how glad she is that he understands that she’s allowed to get her way.

Riku spars with Roxas and always remembers to wear his best shit-eating grin. Their spars always devolve into fist fights, rolling on the ground, punching and kicking and smudged with sand. Riku always throws the first punch because he wants the reassurance of Roxas punching back. Roxas tells Riku he will never forgive him for messing up his hair that badly and getting that many gross things in it, and Riku smirks and says Roxas is the worst about his hair. Roxas snarls reassuringly, comfortingly.

Riku and Axel get drunk and talk about how absolutely compromised they are. They talk about the difference between knowing something is wrong and knowing what to do. They don’t talk about hands tied in white halls and smiles that are double-edged swords. Sora tries to join in, and forgets how much of a lightweight he is. Riku and Axel stop talking and Riku gently tucks Sora in bed.

Sora always hogs the middle of the bed because he’s Sora. Kairi, who was still mostly asleep, turns over groggily and snuggles in deeper. Riku turns the blinds so they won’t glare too badly tomorrow morning and lies down as gently as he knows how.

Riku wakes up the next morning and decides the sunrise shouldn’t be hidden behind geometric blinds. Sora and Kairi wake up, too. Sora tells Riku he has to make the tea. Riku goes to make the tea and smiles at how many cups are in the cupboard.


	10. Snapdragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel and Roxas, 10 years after All This and Heaven Too.

“When did we become domestic?” Lea asks, His snapdragon-red hair is wilting in the islands’ humidity. The fact that he’s been standing over the stove probably isn’t helpful, either. Roxas continues chopping mangoes for the salad.

“It’s not a bad thing,” he responds, dumping mango cubes into the salad bowl, cleaning off the knife, then starting on the zucchini. He likes having a home; they worked really hard for it. Lea pokes at the prawns with a spoon. Roxas knows there’s a difference between Lea pretending he has trepidation over words like ‘domestic’, 'Christmas’, and 'uncle’, and the things he’s truly worried about. The sounds of the stove and the knife fill the still-comfortable silence. “Do you want to go somewhere for the rest of the week?”

“It’s not as much needing a vacation,” Lea clarifies, poking the prawns again, “as it is wanting to be irresponsible for a while.” It’s difficult for Roxas to remember any extended stretch of time where he didn’t have to be responsible. He doesn’t think so much in weeks for these sorts of questions as he does in months and years. He’s not sure if he should miss irresponsibility or not. When the zucchini is done - flowers and all - Roxas starts rinsing the peas. “I miss when we could describe ourselves as magic-samurai-superhero-rockstars.”

“Who says we don’t still do that?” Thinking about things in terms of months and years rather than weeks is comforting.

“It doesn’t count for children under five.”

“I don’t remember that being a rule.” Lea sighs.

“Maybe I’m just worried I’m getting old,” he says. If he leaves the prawns on the stove much longer, they’re going to burn.

“Age is just a number,” Roxas insists, putting the salad on the table. He turns back around just in time to watch Lea turn the stove off just a little too abruptly to be casual.

“It was hot when you said that sort of thing ten years ago,” the prawns are transferred from the pan to another bowl, “but now, it just sounds like we’re in denial.” Roxas takes his hand before he can pick the bowl up again.

“You’re not old,” he insists slowly, looking up at Lea.

“I can’t even tell, sometimes, how I feel about it,” Lea says. The prawns aren’t that interesting. Roxas is still looking up at him when he returns the gaze.

“It’s not a bad thing.” Roxas wants to call him Axel, but doesn’t. He can probably hear it in Roxas’s voice, anyway. He smiles and leans down to kiss Roxas.

“I still want to spend the rest of the week being completely irresponsible,” Lea says. Roxas smiles back.

“Deal.” Roxas drops Sora a telepathic line, then he and Lea take the Gummi ship. Everyone’s at least a little annoyed when they get back. Ha.


	11. Courtly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora, Riku, and Kairi visit Tortall. Elements from Awakenings verse.

“So this is where you’ve been,” Riku said, smiling. And here, Kairi had thought this corner of the library was hard to find.

“What’s all this stuff?” Sora asked. Kairi looked up from her notes for a moment. Both Sora and Riku walked up to the table where she’d been working.

“I decided to start prepping for our next mission in advance,” she responded, smiling back. Sora craned his neck to look at her most recent sketch. On her other side, Riku was absently looking over a few of the more text-heavy papers. “King Mickey said that we’d need to plan more things out in advance this time, so I thought I’d get a head start.”

“This is the infiltration mission, right? Minor nobility from the western islands meeting with the mainland and trying to prevent another war with their northern neighbors.” Riku prompted. “…Even if those northern neighbors happen to be dabbling in Heartless. It looked pretty straightforward to me.” His smile slowly evens out as he continues browsing. “Communication over distance between the knight at the front and the royal couple at the court itself might be tricky,” Kairi saw his brow start to furrow, and noticed Sora not noticing, “but Mickey showed me something with balloon letters I can try.” Sora’s still looking at Kairi’s drawing. “Once we get that working, I’ll be able to keep you guys informed no problem.” Kairi tries to look Riku in the eye; Riku puts the paper back down on the desk. She can see the weight settling over him like a curtain he’s trying to shake off.

“Kairi,” Sora says, “this kimono is pretty, with the flowers and all, but it’s a really weird shade of red to go with your hair.”

“No, this is one of the ones for you,” Kairi responds calmly. “And I made some for Riku, too, over there.” She points at another pile, then continues coloring.

“But I don’t need a flowery kimono.” Sora looks confused.

“Well, I’m always the one getting put in something flowery or poofy or lacy in missions like this,” Kairi says, huffing a little, “and I wanted to do it differently for a change.” Riku catches her eye. “Riku, can you show me how to do the balloon letters? It sounds like a really good way for me to keep in touch with you two.”

“…Yeah,” Riku says, after a beat. The weight washes away, and the corner of his mouth starts to creep up again. “That sounds really good.”

“…Oh,” Sora says, smiling. “We can do it that way if you guys really want.” Maybe he did notice, after all. “But I don’t really want to wear something poofy or lacy, either.”

“It’s okay, Sora,” Riku replies, smirking. “I’ll wear the flowery stuff.”

“Perfect,” Kairi says.

\- - - - -

“Okay,” Riku says. “Let’s practice again.”

“Right…” Sora answers, then coughs and tries to smooth out his hair again. It bounces right back up. “Kairi, I don’t think my hair’s going to stay down.”

“I’ll try to find a stronger spell,” Kairi says, “but we might just have to put you in a wig. Let’s practice again and worry about your hair later.” Sora sighs.

“Okay.” The three of them get into formation for royal presentations again. Sora clears his throat, then recites. “Greetings to the Honored King and Queen of Tortall, and many thanks for allowing us to visit this kingdom of our, uh…”

“Our esteemed brethren,” Riku finishes, voice high and soft, the perfect model of court etiquette, while simultaneously shooting an annoyed look at Sora. “May our days together bring prosperity and blessings to all.” Sora sighs again and stands up, pouting.

“Why aren’t we allowed to smile?” he asks. “My face feels all squishy from being stuck in the same place.” Kairi straightens out and sighs quietly herself. “How can you even remember all this stuff?”

“Most of it is stuff I learned from my family for all the temple holidays, honestly,” Riku says, smoothing invisible wrinkles out of his formal kimono.

“And what about the rest of it?” Sora asks, crossing his arms.

“Maleficent,” Riku deadpans. Kairi can’t help but let out a giggle.

“We’ll have to thank her later,” Kairi says, then giggles again as she continues, “for teaching you how to be a real noble lady.” It’s so contagious, Sora starts laughing, too, and then all three of them are cracking up.

\- - - - -

“She reminds me a lot of you when you were younger,” the Tortall knight says, looking mildly amused.

“From what I have been told of my Lady Champion escort,” Kairi responds, allowing her eyes to crinkle at the corners, “that is quite high praise. I am now looking even more forward to joining her campaign.”

“Exaggerations about my history aside,” the lady Champion says, with a mock-frown at her friend, “you should have seen the way her eyes lit up when she heard the training schedule.”

“Why don’t we start practice a little early then, seeing as I’m in the campaign too?” the knight asks. “Care for a friendly spar?”

“That is exactly what I would wish, sir,” Kairi answers.

\- - - - -

“Exactly which of the Yamani Islands did you say you were from?” The Champion’s husband asks.

“The Destiny Island,” Kairi says, then realizes what she’s just admitted to and puts her wine glass down.

“I don’t think I’ve heard of that one,” the Champion comments.

“It is a small island,” Riku explains, tone perfectly ladylike, “and not many travel from it, even in recent years.” Kairi notices how very carefully Riku is speaking. “Only recently have we been able to visit your country. Already do we enjoy the hospitality you have shown us.”

“Then I will be happy to assist the Lady Riku and Sir Sora in experiencing what Tortall has to offer while the Lady Kairi assists our Champion in her campaign,” the noble replies, eyes glimmering with amusement.

“George, behave,” the Champion scolds. Kairi can tell she’s trying not to roll her eyes.

“Why don’t you tell me more about one of your past campaigns to other lands, Lady Champion,” Kairi interjects with a smile. “It is always a joy to learn more of the world outside our islands.” The legendary King’s Champion looks like she’s unused to blowing her own horn about her past exploits.

“Oh, I always love the stories I hear going around about our esteemed Lady Champion,” the King says from the head of the table, grinning, much like the Champion’s husband but also kinder. The Champion tries to fight off a disgruntled expression.

“Oh, fine,” she concedes, “but let me tell you a story that is actually _true_ , and without embellishment.”

\- - - - -

“The Champion’s husband is a spy,” Riku says, later that night, when the three of them are sequestered in his and Sora’s chamber.

“Was he?” Sora asked. “He seemed like a nice person. Almost all the people here are friendly.”

“You can be friendly and still be a spy,” Riku replies. He busies himself with pouring out the evening’s tea while Kairi and Sora read campaign notes and munch on tea biscuits.

“Well, we’re not doing anything wrong,” Sora declares. “Even if he’s a spy, we’re only here to help. We just have to work harder at convincing him.” Riku doesn’t look like he’s convinced himself.

“The Lady Champion and the King and Queen here like us,” Kairi says. “And I’ve been getting along with the other knights in the Champion’s campaign, too.”

“I heard you beat up another six-foot-five man in a spar today,” Riku smirks. Kairi can tell he’s been practicing tea-pouring with the long kimono sleeves.

“Really?” Sora asks. “Cool! You have to invite us to watch next time.” Kairi can’t help but smile.

“I’m having a lot of fun training with the knights,” she says, cheeks pinking. “By the time I fight with you guys again, I’ll clean up.”

“Don’t tell me about it,” Sora groans, slouching in his chair and staring at the ceiling. “If I have to stay with a stuffy palace face the whole time I’m here, I think I’m gonna start sneaking out in the middle of the night to practice.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Riku says.

“You’ll have to,” Kairi comments. “I’m leaving for the north in four days.”

“That soon?” Sora asks, looking back up at her, frowning. “You’ll send us lots of balloon letters, right?”

“Of course.”

"Looks like we’ll have to investigate that Chamber on our own, too,“ Riku says.

"What chamber?” Sora asks again.

“Do you mean the one the King here showed us?” Kairi inquires. Riku puts the teapot down.

“You’ve felt it too,” he says, “haven’t you?”

“I can’t be sure…” Kairi responds. Even with the stranger abilities she possesses, it’s hard for Kairi to put an exact label on the power she felt coming from that chamber in the chapel they’d seen during the palace tour.

“The Chamber of Ordeal the knights here commune with,” Riku says. Kairi can feel the keyblade-heavy weight he attaches to the term. “I think it’s the Door.”

“Oh,” Sora says. “… _Oh_.”

\- - - - -

“That’s not a regular sword,” Lady Alanna comments.

“No,” Kairi agrees, swinging her keyblade at another mechanical-looking Heartless.

“If you’re not a knight from the Yamani Islands, who are you really?” Alanna punctuates this question with a thrust of her own broadsword at their common enemy.

“I’m a princess, actually,” Kairi answers, punctuated by a battle yell and another slice at their enemy, “from _very_ far away. I fight the darkness, wherever it is.”

“With your friends?”

“Yes.” They begin to hem the Heartless in from opposite sides. “Like any other knight,” Kairi presses further in her onslaught, “and like _this_.” She calls Light from her heart to her hand, and it engulfs her keyblade. With another shout, she thrusts it into the Heartless and strikes home. The beast shrieks within its contraption, and in a column of light, it dissolves, the freed heart rising up towards the sky and away.

“The heart…” Alanna begins.

“It’s not a captive of the darkness anymore,” Kairi explains. “It’s going where it should.”

“This is the kind of creature Tortall is in danger from?” Alanna prompts, lowering her weapon with the skirmish’s end.

“If we don’t find the source of the outpouring,” Kairi answers.

“I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”

“I’ll try to answer what I can.”

\- - - - -

“It turns out,” Riku murmurs in Kairi's ear, during the celebratory feast of the Champion’s team’s successful return, “the Door here knows how to fight back.”

“Did you win?” Kairi asks, looking at him.

“…I survived,” Riku answers, after a moment’s pause. Kairi nods to let him know he doesn’t have to elaborate. He looks relieved.

“What are you guys whispering about?” Sora asks, grinning from the victory and completely forgetting his training.

“We have to go back, soon,” Kairi answers, smiling back. “The people of Tortall will be fine on their own.” Sora’s face falls.

“Aww, we’ve met so many people here,” Sora says, “and Riku and I were doing secret glaive training sessions with the princess here.”

“It wasn’t that much of a secret,” Riku comments, voice low and eyes sparkling.

“Did I hear you were leaving soon?” the Champion’s husband asks, walking up to the three of them, a good-natured smile on his face. Kairi sees Sora’s eyebrows shoot up and is glad he’s the one facing away from the interloper. “I have to say the palace life will be duller without you.”

“We have much enjoyed our time abroad,” Riku replies, voice high and soft again, “but our home calls to us once more. With the Lady Champion’s success, we expect we will soon be on our way. We will, however, remover with fondness all the hospitality and camaraderie that has been shown us here.” Kairi can tell Sora is trying not to laugh, so she shoots him a look until he has his palace face on again.

“We’ll remember you as well,” the Champion’s husband says. “But I heard from a very reliable source that the Lady Kairi herself had a great deal to do with the success of the campaign.”

“All of us worked hard to find the solution,” Kairi responds. “Perhaps the Lady Champion will enjoy embellishing my actions as a chance to even out the number of tales I have asked about regarding her.”

“I’m sure she’d love to hear that,” he grins back mischievously.

“I think what Lady Kairi might most love,” Riku says, “is a chance to try the strawberry mousse cake the chef here has made.” Every campaigning knight within earshot perks up. “I would have to insist that palace food is preferable to what you’ve imbibed on the road, and this is not a dessert one finds back home.” Kairi admits to herself that she has been missing sweet things.

“I think strawberry mousse would be the perfect compliment to the wonderful times we will spend this evening,” she says with a smile.


End file.
